List of Foods High in Iron

You need oxygen to live. And iron is a component of hemoglobin in red blood cells that helps to transport oxygen throughout your body.

So absorbing enough iron from foods high in iron is essential to life and overall good health.

Iron plays a major role in helping your blood and muscles carry oxygen to your cells. That’s why feeling tired is generally the first sign of iron deficiency.

Getting enough iron rich foods helps you to have the energy you need.

And although iron-rich spinach may not give you Popeye’s super muscle-strength to fight off villains, green leafy veggies and other foods high in iron help you to fight off the following enemies of your health and happiness:

apathy,

tiredness,

feeling weak,

being grouchy,

poor concentration,

and eventually anemia.

According to the World Health Organization, iron deficiency that leads to anemia is “the most common and widespread nutritional disorder in the world.”

Foods High in Iron

There are two types of iron rich foods – heme and nonheme. Heme iron comes from animal foods that contain hemoglobin like red meats, poultry, and fish.

Iron from most animal sources (heme iron) is more easily absorbed by your body than iron from plant sources (non-heme iron). The charts below show how much iron is available to you from healthy heme and non-heme foods.

These two lists of heme and non-heme iron rich foods are ranked by the amount of iron, in milligrams (mg) per serving size, along with approximate calories:

HEME IRON FOOD SOURCES

SERVING

IRON (mg)

CALORIES

*Clams, canned & drained

3 oz

23.8

128

Chicken liver, cooked

3 oz

11.0

142

*Oysters, eastern, cooked

3 oz

8.2

116

Beef liver, cooked

3 oz

5.8

162

Lean beef chuck roast, cooked

3 oz

3.2

208

Lean sirloin, broiled

3 oz

2.9

156

Sardines, canned in water

3 oz

2.4

185

Skinless turkey, dark meat, roasted

3 oz

2.3

158

Lean ground beef, broiled

3 oz

1.9

153

Skinless turkey, light meat, roasted

3 oz

1.6

98

Skinless chicken, dark meat, roasted

3 oz

1.3

184

Skinless chicken breast, white meat, roasted

3 oz

1.1

139

Lean pork, roasted or broiled

3 oz

0.9

124

Tuna, white, canned in water

3 oz

0.9

110

Salmon, canned with bone

3 oz

0.7

>127

*Most fresh fish, cooked with dry heat

3 oz

0.7-1.1

82-191

*To assure your protection from dangerous bacteria and parasites, it’s a good idea to avoid eating oysters and clams raw, plus all other raw fish.

NON-HEME IRON FOOD SOURCES

SERVING

IRON (mg)

CALORIES

Soybeans, mature, cooked

½ cup

4.4

149

Pumpkin seeds

1 oz

4.2

148p

Black strap molasses

1 Tbsp

3.5

47

Tofu, firm

½ cup

3.4

88

Lentils

½ cup

3.3

115

Spinach, steamed

½ cup

3.2

21

Bran, wheat

½ cup

3.0

63

Kidney beans, cooked

½ cup

2.6

112

Prunes

½ cup

2.4

204

Chickpeas, cooked,

½ cup

2.4

134

Lima beans, mature, cooked

½ cup

2.3

108

Navy beans, cooked

½ cup

2.2

127

Soybeans, green, cooked,

½ cup

2.2

127

Green leafy vegetables, steamed

½ cup

2.0

10

Black beans, cooked

½ cup

1.8

114

Pinto beans, cooked

½ cup

1.8

122

Beets, cooked

1 cup

1.8

102

Oatmeal, cooked

1 cup

1.6

146

Raisins

½ cup

1.5

217

Soy milk

1 cup

1.4

130

Sunflower seeds, hulled

1 oz

1.4

162

Peas, cooked

½ cup

1.3

59

Wheat germ

2 Tbsp

1.1

130

Whole-wheat bread

1 slice

0.9

80 to 128

Brown rice, cooked

1 cup

0.8

215

Green beans, cooked

½ cup

0.8

38

Broccoli, cooked

½ cup

0.7

17

Egg yolk

1 large

0.6

54

Peanut butter

2 Tbsp

0.6

180

Apricots, dried

3 pieces

0.3

25

Zucchini, cooked

½ cup

0.3

22

*Milligrams of iron and calorie amounts can vary a lot, so be sure to check the Nutrition Facts on all food labels.

You can also greatly increase your absorption of iron by combining non-heme foods that are high in iron with heme iron-rich foods at the same meal.

Signs of Iron Deficiency Anemia

The most common symptom for any type of anemia is tiredness; this is because there are not enough red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout your body.

WHO NEEDS IRON?

minimum

maximum

Babies from birth to 6 months

0.27 mg

35 mg

Children up to around 13 years

11 mg

35 mg

Childbearing age females

18 mg

45 mg

Pregnant women

27 mg

45 mg

Lactating women

10 mg

45 mg

Males 14 years and older

11 mg

45 mg

Anyone with iron deficiency anemia

Follow doctor recommendations

Iron deficiency is most often found in young children, childbearing-age females and particularly in pregnant women. Iron deficiency anemia increases a woman’s risk of pre-term delivery and delivering a low birth-weight baby.

Here are some of the more common symptoms of iron deficiency anemia:

fatigue,

weakness,

heart troubles,

lightheadedness,

problems breathing,

difficulty staying warm,

and increased infections.

In infants and young children the most noticeable signs of iron anemia are:

poor appetite,

behavioral problems,

slow growth and development.

But it’s important to keep in mind that a higher than maximum intake of iron is especially dangerous for babies and young children and is their main cause of poisoning deaths; doses as low as 60 milligrams can be fatal to a child.

So be sure to keep all supplements containing iron out of children’s reach.

Iron Rich Foods and Supplements

If you take iron in supplement form, ferrous iron is known to be more bio available than ferric iron. Plus, it’s important to make sure you stay within the safe levels unless advised otherwise by a qualified health professional.

The above list of foods high in iron, combined if necessary with supplements, can give you the iron you need to live a happy, healthy, energy-filled life!

Haas JD, Brownlie T 4th. The Journal of Nutrition. Iron deficiency and reduced work capacity: a critical review of the research to determine a causal relationship. J Nutr. 2001;131(2S–2):676S–688S; discussion 688S–690S.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.); National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (U.S.); Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity. Recommendations to Prevent and Control Iron Deficiency in the United States. MMWR Recomm Rep. 1998;47(RR-3):1-29.

Moss Greene has been studying the common sense principles of health and nutrition since 1979. She began writing professionally in 2002 as the Nutrition Editor for BellaOnline, the 2nd largest women's website on the internet and in the world. You can follow Moss on Google +.